Chapter 199 The hasty Northern Expedition
Just as Luo Li and Qin Wang Zhao Defang worked together to change their fate and turn the wheel of history, a bad news came from the palace! After
his uncle Zhao Tingmei was executed, the eldest prince Zhao Yuanzuo, who lived in the East Palace, could not accept the bloody cruelty of the royal family's flesh and blood, and finally had a mental breakdown. He
was crazy and drunk every day, and lost his mind in anger and burned down the bedroom with a fire!
The emperor was furious!
He hated his own son's incompetence and ignorance, and he didn't understand his father's painstaking efforts to eliminate hidden dangers for his sons in order to pass the throne to his own lineage from generation to generation.
By the way, he also hated Empress Mingde, who had raised his eldest son Yuanzuo to be soft-hearted and ruthless without knowing how to be an emperor.
He issued an order to depose the crazy eldest prince Zhao Yuanzuo as a commoner, expelled him from the East Palace and imprisoned him in the Prince of Chu's Mansion. Empress Mingde, who was incompetent in educating her children, was also imprisoned in the cold palace, depriving the empress of the power to manage the six palaces. Concubine
Li Xian finally regained the emperor's favor. Although she was not canonized as the empress, she got the power to manage the six palaces and the supreme honor of being the mother of the world.
The third prince Zhao Heng, who had been inconspicuous before, became the most advantageous heir to the throne. This made Concubine Li Xian not care about her biological eldest son. While she was smiling happily in her dream, she was thinking about how to ensure that her biological son, the third prince, could ascend to the throne?
Two of the four biological sons who were made kings died and one went crazy. In order to stabilize and balance the imperial power, the emperor made two older sons kings.
The fifth prince Zhao Yuanjie was made the King of Han, and the sixth prince Zhao Yuanwo was made the King of Xiang.
This series of events really turbulent the court of the Song Dynasty. More than 20 officials were implicated in the case of Prince Qi's treason and rebellion. They were all dismissed and imprisoned. Not implicating their entire clans was already a leniency.
The ministers were in a panic, and the emperor's suspicion became even heavier!
Except for a few confidants, everyone looked like they had two hearts. As for the only remaining worry, the King of Qin, Zhao Defang, he was even more jealous and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible!
But the King of Qin was not as easy to deal with as the King of Wei and the King of Qi. Although he
had no military power, in addition to the loyal 3,000 Moyun Cavalry elite guards, he also had a deep friendship with many of the border generals.
Most of the important officials in the court were old officials who had fought for the country with Emperor Taizu. Although they did not have much connection with the King of Qin on the surface, there were many who were loyal to him.
Among the people, the King of Qin was the Eight Wise Kings who was deeply loved by the people. In the eyes of the border generals, the King of Qin was a god-like general who had won every battle. In the court, the King of Qin was a pillar of the Song Dynasty with great talent, wisdom and courage.
It was not an easy task to get rid of this troublesome person.
In the situation that he was not sure of destroying the King of Qin by force, the emperor, who cherished his reputation and wanted to leave an image of a wise ruler in history books, thought of using a conspiracy to get rid of the King of Qin.
The emperor secretly planned for a few days, summoned a few trusted ministers to conspire again, and finally decided on a great plan to kill two birds with one stone!
So, at the small court meeting on the second day, the emperor proposed to mobilize the army again and march north to attack Liao!
Unexpectedly, most of the dozen important officials in the court were opposed. Even the chief military commanders who always advocated war, Chu Zhaofu, the envoy of the Council of Privy Counselors, and Cao Bin, the deputy envoy of the Council of Privy Counselors, opposed such a hasty Northern Expedition.
Minister of Finance Luo Zhongxu was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead, "Your Majesty, the treasury seems to be full, but right now it can't afford such a war that requires the whole country's strength!
If we can rest and recuperate for a few more years, the Northern Expedition will be more certain. I hope Your Majesty will think twice!"
The emperor's confidant Cheng Yu, the Imperial Secretary, argued cunningly, "Lord Luo is wrong! In the wars with the powerful enemies in the north over the years, we have won more than we have lost, and the military might of the Song Dynasty is as powerful as a rainbow!
While we are resting and recuperating, the enemies are also resting and recuperating. How can the odds of winning be better after a few years ? Is it even bigger today?"
Xue Juzheng, who was promoted to the left prime minister after Zhao Pu stepped down, said worriedly, "We were defeated in the Battle of Gaoliang River and suffered heavy losses. The more than one year of rest and recuperation time is too short.
The treasury is not full enough, and the people in the north who suffered from the war have just settled down and resumed production. People's hearts are not stable enough. It is not a good time to march north now! Your Majesty, please think twice."
Hearing the words about the defeat in the Battle of Gaoliang River, the emperor was extremely angry and humiliated. He waved his robe sleeves and smashed the tea bowl in his hand to the ground with a "pop" sound!
Lu Duoxuan, who had been promoted from the assistant minister to the right prime minister of the cabinet, jumped out!
The first thing he said was an aggressive attempt to sow discord: "Prime Minister Xue, please stop bringing up the Battle of Gaoliang River. Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, we have fought countless battles with the Dangxiang people and the Khitan people. How many times did we not win?
Your Majesty is wise and brave, and has the talent to expand our territory. Under your wise command, a few months ago in the battle of Yanmen Pass, our soldiers defeated the 100,000 invading Liao troops.
Now is the best time to send troops to the north while the Liao army is badly damaged, the young ruler of Liao is ignorant, and the situation is unstable with Empress Dowager Xiao in power."
Xue Juzheng was so scared that he shuddered! He was immediately drenched in cold sweat.
[Why did I mention the defeat at Gaoliang River just now? That is a taboo for the Emperor!]
Xue Juzheng closed his mouth and dared not say anything more when he saw the gloomy face of the Emperor.
Several generals and ministers secretly complained that the Emperor was ambitious but did not have the courage to lead the troops, nor did he have the outstanding military command ability of Emperor Taizu.
The Emperor was greedy and afraid of death and drove away in a donkey cart, which led to the disastrous defeat at Gaoliang River. This incident became a taboo for the Emperor and could not be mentioned at all.
The ministers who opposed the Northern Expedition could only find other reasons to try to stop the Emperor from making this brainless and adventurous plan on a whim.
Cao Bin advised calmly, "Your Majesty, even if we send troops to the north, it is now the cold winter season. Compared with the Liao army who have lived in a cold land for many years, our Song soldiers have lost the advantage of time and place.
Moreover, such a war of northern expedition that requires the whole country's efforts requires too many things to be planned and prepared.
It is best to wait until next spring, when our strategic materials are fully prepared and the weather is warmer, and then send troops to the north."
Cao Bin's words were strongly agreed by everyone who knew a little about military theory. As a result, the time to send troops to the north became almost one-sided.
The emperor had a gloomy face, and his eyes swept through everyone like ice, and an imperial pressure shrouded the study.
"By next spring, the horses of the powerful northern enemies who make their living by grazing will be fat, and they will be more threatening to our Song infantry.
Taking advantage of the winter when the grass in the north is dry and the horses are thin, it is the best time to send troops to the north to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
What you need to discuss next is to prepare weapons and food as soon as possible, mobilize the troops, and send troops to the north in a month! "
One month? All the court officials took a deep breath!
Such a large-scale war has never been heard of before, and there is only a one-month precedent from the proposal to the preparation time for sending troops!
The emperor was furious, and the ministers did not dare to speak out to object to him. They just exchanged glances with each other secretly, and how to delay the time of sending troops to the north.
After the small court meeting, more than a dozen court officials were divided into two groups with different opinions, and each found a place to discuss their opinions. ...
After receiving the secret report from the palace, Qin Wang Zhao Defang pondered silently.
He had already expected that among the generals of this Northern Expedition, there would definitely be one of them.
In this battle where there was no guarantee of victory, how could he save the lives of Mo Yunqi's personal soldiers and other generals who were about to be framed?
Luo Li went to the farm outside the city to inspect the training of the Big Foot Women's Corps, but saw that the morale and The combat skills are now different from the past.
The Big Foot Women's Army, which has reached 606 people, fought back and forth with the 300 elite Moyun Cavalry soldiers who helped with the rotation training, and they showed no fear of weakness!
In the infantry battle and cavalry assault and combat drills, although the Big Foot Women's Army was still the losing side, the spirit of the women soldiers fighting to the death was tragic and heroic!
Especially Pang Ying, with a dozen powerful female soldiers around him, was like a They charged into the enemy's hinterland like a sharp blade, and finally cut down the flag and captured the general, achieving a brilliant victory.
This made the young general of the other side a little ashamed, but made the female soldiers excitedly cheer for victory, with great momentum!
Luo Li saw that Mulan'er was following closely behind Pang Ying's brave and invincible figure. She couldn't help but happily said to the two deputy commanders who were watching the battle beside her: "I had expected Pang Ying to be a fierce general, but I didn't expect Mulan'er to be so brave!"
Yang Yanqi smiled and introduced: "Mulan'er trains hard. Not only has her combat skills improved rapidly, she is also a commander who can fight with her brain. If she has the opportunity to go to the battlefield in the future, she will definitely be a brave and resourceful general! Gao Ruoying also said excitedly: "
Pang Ying seems to be a brave and extraordinary general, but he is rough but meticulous when commanding a battle. He can often come up with unexpected tricks and turn the tide of the battle at a critical moment."
"Okay! Yanqi, Ruoying. Now that the logistics department of our Big Foot Women's Army has been established and improved, we will select a few smart, courageous and strategic talents to organize a combat staff department. This lady will give them lessons and training in person. "
For those amazing skills in Luo Naocang's head, Yang Yanqi and Gao Ruoying admired and worshipped him, and trusted him immensely. They agreed without hesitation.
Luo Li thought of the famous sixteen-character mobile warfare tactical policy of the great man in the later liberation war. When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy stays, we harass; when the enemy is tired, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue!
There are also those siege tactics, mushroom warfare, bamboo shoot tactics, luring the enemy deep into the mobile annihilation tactics, etc., which are very popular in this era. They will be invincible on the battlefield! The great man's political and military wisdom is absolutely invincible in any era.
Thinking of this, Luo Li's heart was burning with excitement!
She wanted to tell those magical strategies and tactics to the outstanding commanders in the Big Foot Women's Army. Although this lady has no military talent, perhaps, there will be a few people in the Big Foot Women's Army who can comprehend the true meaning of those magical tactics, apply them flexibly, and emerge as a few dazzling generals?
"Pick out a dozen people with potential, and I will start teaching you in three days! "There was a hint of urgency in Luo Li's tone...
When she returned to the Prince of Qin's Mansion in the city, Luo Li saw the Prince of Qin sitting in the main hall of Ning Xinyuan waiting for her. She paused as she stepped through the threshold and asked curiously, "Zhao Defang, we agreed to work hard every minute. Why don't you be busy with your work and have time to come to my place for tea?"
The Prince of Qin smiled warmly and poured Luo Li a cup of hot tea himself.
"Princess, there was news from the palace today. The Emperor decided on the Northern Expedition at a small court meeting, and he will hastily send troops in a month. "
Luo Li was shocked by this sudden news!
Didn't the history books and storytelling say that the Northern Expedition should be launched next spring? It was in this battle that the Golden Sword Lord Yang Ye was murdered by the chief commander Pan Mei and the supervisor Wang Qun.
"Is Pan Mei the chief commander and Wang Qun the supervisor?..."
The King of Qin was stunned!
Then he smiled and shook his head, "The candidates for the chief commander and the supervisor have not yet been decided. However, I can't escape his plan to be sent to the front line to die an unjust death."
[Damn! You're talking nonsense again! It seems that the wheel of history has really turned around.]
Luo Li touched his nose and said to cover up, "Ah...that was just my guess. The dog emperor wants you to be a cannon fodder and die. We must make more plans and preparations to make his conspiracy fail.
If you are really one of the generals in the Northern Expedition, I will go with you! "
The King of Qin was deeply moved!
The lazy and fearful princess actually wanted to follow him to the extremely difficult and dangerous battlefield.
He walked forward and hugged his beloved, his voice hoarse: "Li'er, it is a bitter and cold winter in the north, and the battlefield is even more dangerous. I will not let you go with me.
Li'er, you stay in the capital to support me, and the king will return triumphantly without any damage!"